Buying advice for 91 Civic

[pyannaco]

Hey, my brother is looking at buying this 91 civic si from a friend of his. I don't know much about it except that it had it's motor replaced a while back. It's still a 1.6L but i'm not sure how to tell if it is a different type of motor than what it came with. I don't really know anything about these cars so if someone could list a good reference site or point out some things to look for that would be great.

Thanks,

Just look for everything that you would on any other car you'd be buying. Check for burning / leaking oil, suspension / brake problems, loud transmission... clutch wear etc. The engine code will be stamped right on the front of the motor where the transmission mates up to the block. Get that code and you can then use websites like wikipedia to figure out if that's the right motor for that car.

Oh and how much are they asking? I just helped a friend buy a 93 civic si coupe from Vancouver. His car was in near mint condition and he got it for $3200.

[Super Dipper]

D16A6 is the engine code.

check for rust in the rear 1/4's. as long as there is nothing there or its minimal and all the electrics work ( meaning power sunroof if it has it,), other than that, if its a good deal and drives good, snag it.

there is fuck all to the cars. if something goes on it, someone here will have parts for it and cheap.

[pyannaco]

Thanks a lot for the advice. Hopefully it checks out, all I know so far is that it's under a grand and runs well.

[Fleemer]

i hear timing belts are an issue (alot of people ignore it thinking hondas don't require preventative maintenance)

[Internet]

im willing to bet if its a newer motor and under a 1k dollars its my old beater.

if its a 91 civic si, white, thats pretty low and a motor code d16y7, id really advise him not to get it, i built the exhaust really terribly, and beat the poor living piss out of the poor thing, drove it into poles, trucks, and bounced it off rev limited at every moment, if it doesnt fit that description, follow the advice above!

[pyannaco]

Ha, I'm at my parents place in Mission right now so I'm pretty sure it's not yours. It was fadded red, it's now primmer black. I think he's had it for a bit and my brother has driven around with him a lot in it. I might check it out tomorrow since we just got a fair bit of snow last night.

[projectcivic]

Originally Posted by Fleemer

i hear timing belts are an issue (alot of people ignore it thinking hondas don't require preventative maintenance)

I think you hit the nail on the head there, a timing belt can be an issue on any car if you don't ever replace it. There is a set interval for them for a reason, some people seem to ignore that and then they are usually the people who bitch about how "crappy this honda was" when it breaks.

[rob76]

If the car has no service history then prepare to put a new timing belt on. They only last 100, 000km or 5 years. Even if it looks good it could be dry and ready to split. It usually costs about $400 to have one put on.

If its an interference engine and the belt goes then the whole motor can be wrecked.

Check the brakes too, have them checked. You can buy a car like that and find out it needs $1000 worth of brake work just to be road worthy.